Public support for the war in Afghanistan is up nine percentage points in the last three weeks, as
American voters say 57 - 35 percent that fighting the war is the right thing to do. Approval of
President Barack Obama's handling of the war is up seven points in the same period, from a 38 - 49
percent negative November 18 to a 45 - 45 percent split, according to a Quinnipiac
University poll released today.

American voters approve 58 - 37 percent of President Obama's decision to send 30,000
more combat troops to the war-torn nation, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-per-ack)
University poll finds. And voters approve 60 - 32 percent of the President's plan to begin
withdrawing combat troops from Afghanistan in July 2011. But by a 45 - 40 percent margin,
Americans do not believe he will be able to keep that promise.

The jump in public support for Obama's war policy comes as voters say 66 - 26 percent
he does not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize he will be awarded this week, and 41 percent say the
Nobel committee's choice of Obama for the award causes them to think less of it, while 6 percent
say it makes them think better of the prize and 49 percent say it makes no difference.

"President Barack Obama's nationally televised speech explaining his policy and troop
buildup has worked, at least in the short term, in bolstering support for the war effort and his
decisions," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
"History teaches that the bully pulpit can be a powerful tool for a president who knows how to
use it, especially when it comes to foreign policy. The American people tend to rally around their
presidents in military matters, at least for a while. It took some time for similar type speeches
about Vietnam and Iraq by Presidents Lyndon Johnson and George W. Bush respectively to lose
their ability to rally support."

"It's probably a good thing for President Obama that the time difference from Norway
means the Nobel presentation will occur while most Americans are sleeping and might get less
coverage in the United States," Brown added. "Two out of three Americans don't think he
deserves it compared to the quarter who do. Even among Democrats, only 49 percent think he
deserves it, compared to 8 percent of Republicans and 19 percent of independent voters. As is
the case with many questions related to the President there are wide gender and racial gaps."

In a November 18 Quinnipiac University survey, American voters said 48 - 41 percent
that fighting in Afghanistan was the right thing to do. Since then Democrats have moved from
58 - 31 percent against the war to a 47 - 46 percent split. Republican support inched up from
68 - 22 percent to 71 - 21 percent and independent backing is up from 51 - 39 percent to 58 -
34 percent.

"The dichotomy between the almost two-to-one support for setting a July 2011 date for
beginning withdrawal of combat troops from Afghanistan and the doubt that Obama will be able
to deliver on the promise reflects a skeptical public about America's ability to triumph there,"
Brown said.

"Similarly, American voters say 64 - 30 percent that eliminating the threat from terrorists
operating from Afghanistan is a worthwhile goal for American troops to fight and possibly die
for, but those same voters say 52 - 38 percent they don't think the United States will be
successful in eliminating the terrorist threat from Afghanistan."

From December 1 - 6, Quinnipiac University surveyed 2,313 registered voters nationwide
with a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public
opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and the
nation as a public service and for research.
For more data or RSS feed- http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582-5201, or
follow us on Twitter.

6. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling - foreign
policy?

TREND: How much longer would you be willing to have large numbers of U.S. troops
remain in Afghanistan - less than a year, one to two years, two to five years,
five to ten years, or as long as it takes?

24. Do you think the United States is heading for the same kind of involvement
in Afghanistan as it had in the Vietnam War, or do you think the United States
will avoid that kind of involvement this time?

TREND: Do you think the United States is heading for the same kind of
involvement in Afghanistan as it had in the Vietnam war, or do you think the
United States will avoid that kind of involvement this time?